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Ghosts In AmericaPortraits of Undocumented Immigrants

Ghosts in America is an ongoing multimedia project that shines a light on the ordinary working people in the United States who live among us as undocumented immigrants. They are mothers and fathers, students, small business owners, teachers and activists -- each one working toward a better life for themselves and their families.

But officially, they exist in the shadows. And indeed, with the new presidential administration and their increasingly aggressive immigration policies, this issue has gained great importance and urgency.

This project tells the stories of life amid the struggles of their uncertain immigration status, in two parts. First, for the last three years I have been traveling to different US cities to make portraits of these “ghosts.” My portraits use a cultural tradition common throughout Latin America -- and increasingly, in American pop culture -- to bring awareness to an important social issue that we in the United States have so far failed to reconcile. Their faces are painted with symbols of the Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) tradition, which represent death and rebirth. Each subject is transformed into an icon in their own world and is photographed in their home or work environment, where they nurture their dreams and goals.

Ghosts In America is an ongoing project that I started shooting around September of 2014. They are people from different countries in Central, South America and the Caribbean, like Mexico, Nicaragua, Honduras, El Salvador, Panama, Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador, Bolivia, Peru, Chile, Argentina, Uruguay, Barbados, Haiti and Dominican Republic.

During the time I have been making these portraits, I have encounter with all kinds of stories and situations that immigrants face each day or have faced in the past. Stories like Carlos, who had to overstayed his visa after having gone through 8 brain tumor surgeries and unable to go back his country in the Dominican Republic, or Teresa, who left her home in Puebla, Mexico with her 3 children to cross the border 25 years ago escaping poverty and build a better life for her family. Carmen, who was hustled and shaken down by corrupt authority officials for years, are some of the cases that have keeps me going and interested in capturing their images and tell their stories to those who believe these situations does not affect them. These are the people who build your homes, cut the grass, serve your breakfast, change your sheets, sell you flowers.

But also, there are cases of success after the struggle, like Giancarlos who was a leader in the successful fight to gain in-state tuition rates at New Jersey's public colleges and universities for students like himself. Kelsey, from Honduras, who this year became the first female undocumented lawyer in the state of Florida. Gender identity is also connected to this human rights issue, as it also was an honor for me to make portraits of LGBTQ activists and organizers like Saul, who faces the tribulations of being undocumented while also fighting against hate crimes, or Ariana, a peruvian transgender woman who educates, mentors and advocates for the rights of the transgender community adding more dificulty to their uncertain immigration status.

In this current political climate, the image that immigrants are being perceived is unfair. This project's goal is to counter the divisive rhetoric that has gain popularity in the current political presidential race. Subsequently, it looks to keep pushing towards a comprehensive immigration reform that can help with an outdated and broken immigration system and bring relief to 5 out of the 11 millions undocumented immigrants eligible for deffered action residencies.

The goasl of this project is the making of a book called "Ghosts In America: 100 portraits of Undocumented Immigrants" with the stories of the people from each portrait that I have done in the different cities, the status and position they where when I took their portrait and where they are at the end of the collection. Also, exhibition and artist talks about the project, immigration and human rights consciousness at galleries, colleges and art events.

The main intention of this publication will be to raise awareness, curiosity and engagement to take action about this human rights issue.

Education is the key for understanding where do we come from, what are we and where are we going as a society.

Juan Carlos, 22, México, 18 years living in the United States.

On January 25, Donald Trump signed an executive order to defund sanctuary cities that protect undocumented immigrants. The following day, Miami Mayor Carlos Gimenez, a Cuban refugee, became the first mayor in the country to officially and publicly comply with Trump’s divisive order. He even got a thank you tweet from the president himself: “Strong!”

Juan Carlos along with other activists spent 100 hours—four days—without food, sitting outside the mayor’s office, and sleeping in a local church as a sign of protest to the mayor's desition.

“As an undocumented DACA student, I’ve seen fear enter my community. My parents have so much fear that they don’t want to drive alone. This is an urgent matter that affects lives, families, and security. I joined to show Gimenez I will put my body on the line before my community and my parents are affected and broken up.”

The commission voted 9-3, with one commissioner absent, in support of Gimenez's action to drop sanctuary protection for undocumented immigrants.

Cecy. Mexico. 10 years living in the United States

After graduating from The New School in New York City, Cecy became Social Justice Development Coordinator at a High School in New Mexico. She is also part of Generation Justice, an organization that trains teens to approach journalism from a social justice and media justice framework.

Carlos. Mexico. 25 years living in the United States

Trinidad. Mexico. 8 years living in the United States

Teresa came from her native Puebla 8 years ago after her husband got robbed and killed while attending his commercial business. She had to leave her 3 sons that has not seen ever since in order to make ends meet as a domestic worker and send money back home. Taken advantage of her immigration status, she was abused by her employer with poor employment conditions, like extreme long days of work and unreasonable payment. She said that she feels invisible when walking on the streets in New York, and that sometimes cars don’t event stop while she is crossing the streets.

Omar. Mexico. 7 years living in the United States

Milton. Ecuador. 10 years living in the United States

Milton is a day laborer from Queens, NY. Originally from Ecuador, Milton is one of the organizers for New Immigrant Community Empowerment organization. Successfully being part of passing a bill that protects day laborers in the state of New York. Milton participates on educating other undocumented immigrants about their human rights and laws that protects them from harassments and prosecution.

Francisco. Mexico. 9 years living in the United States

Francisco is part of the new campaign by the organization Laundry Workers Center to improve florist worker’s conditions and wages. These workers that work as florists in Manhattan, submitted to harsh weather conditions such as extreme cold in the winter and extreme hot in the summer. They are also enclosed with gas fumes that keeps the conditions of the flowers but is hazardous to their health.

Jorge. Mexico. 7 years living in the United States

Jorge works as a dishwasher at a restaurant. He is part of the “Titlanice”campaign, which translates to " Vamos a ganar". For many years, these restaurant workers faced wage theft and abusive working conditions. Now, after intensive training with LWC's Leadership Institute, they are coming together in order to demand better life for themselves and their families.

Ricardo. Mexico. 6 years living in the United States

Ricardo works as a florist in Manhattan, his situation is that his employer is not fair with his wages and the amount of hours that he works (up to 12 hours straight, most times 7 days of the week) and no vacation days or sick leave, he works outside under harsh weather conditions during the cold winter and the hot summer, and among chemicals to keep the flowers safe but hazardous for humans. Ricardo lives by himself and works hard to send money to his family in Guerrero, Mexico.

Giancarlos. Peru. 14 years living in the United States

Giancarlos was a leader in the successful fight to gain in-state tuition rates at New Jersey’s public colleges and universities for students like himself who are in the country illegally. And now he is getting his education paid for by Rutgers-Newark, which has awarded him a two-year scholarship worth at least $22,000 to return to his studies.

Jose. Mexico. 7 years living in the United States

Rosanna. Uruguay. 16 years living in the United States

Rosana is native from Montevideo, Uruguay. She made her way into the United States looking for better opportunities. She is a single mother and works as community organizer. After being a victim of domestic abuse, she founded Women Working Together USA, a group that organize, empower and educate women about their rights on immigration and domestic violence issues.

Claudia. Argentina. 16 years living in the United States

Carlos. Dominican. 10 years living in the United States

Frida. Peru. 14 years living in the United States

Mariam. Barbados. 8 years living in the United States

Jorge. Peru. 13 years living in the United States

Karina. Uruguay. 15 years living in the United States

Maria. Argentina. 16 years living in the United States

Maria arrived from Argentina 15 years ago with her husband and son after the economic crisis that affected their business and country in the early 2000s. She used to work at an Argentinian film school, and her husband as an architect. Here, she works as a domestic worker and her husband as a construction contractor. She is very active with the community as a volunteer organizer with United Families, and organization in Florida that looks to educate on keeping families with Undocumented members together.

Leticia. Uruguay. 15 years living in the United States

Carmen. Mexico. 8 years living in the United States

Teresa. Mexico. 26 years living in the United States

Umberto. Mexico. 10 years living in the United States

Umberto is a day laborer, he is a volunteer with the New Immigrant Community Empowerment, an organization dedicated to building the power and advancing the rights of immigrant workers in New York. After suffering at the hands of predatory and fraudulent employment agencies. Umberto and other NICE members formed a worker committee to address this problem, NICE members began to educate immigrant workers on their rights as consumers and meet with decision-makers and other community groups to come up with legislative solution. This led to the creation of the Justice for Job Seekers campaign, and was recently submitted as a bill and passed, providing fair and meaningful protections to low-wage immigrant workers as they look for work in the state of New York.

Carlos. Colombia. 15 years living in the United States

Juan Carlos was born and raised in Colombia. Like many others from his country, he and his family had to flee due to threats of harm and kidnapping by guerilla soldiers. I met Juan Carlos while he was supporting and event of Florida Immigrant Coalition, while making his portrait, he told me that the house he was

living in, was actually a bird sanctuary.

Berta. Nicaragua. 13 years living in the United States

Yaquelin. Bolivia. 10 years living in the United States

Yaqueline made her way to the United States from Bolivia 12 years ago. She is a domestic worker, activist and project director of Women Working Together USA.

Claudio. Chile. 14 years living in the United States

Claudio is a member of SWER (Students Working for Equal Rights), he goes to college in order to study political science. He was protected under his parent’s visa, but when he turned 21 and became legally adult, his visa was canceled and now he could be eligible for deportation. His older brother was deported for the same reason. Claudio enjoys skateboarding and reading. The piece in yellow is an artwork created by Neck Face, a graffiti artist known for his frightening drawing style and humorous writings. Claudio won that piece at a skateboard competition.

Mariana. Venezuela. 14 years living in the United States

Marianna came from Venezuela running from Chavez communism regime with her parents and sister almost 10 years ago. She started being active while fighting for the Dream Act that would give her a chance to not get deported and go to school in the United States. She got involved with SWER (Students Working for Equal Rights), an organization that fights for In-State tuition for undocumented students in the state of Florida.

Marisa. Argentina. 13 years living in the United States

Marisol. Mexico. 10 years living in the United States

Tonton. Haiti. 40 years living in the United States

Ton Ton is the most senior Haitian master drummer in the United States. He teaches percussion in Florida youth crisis shelters. He still performs at art and cultural events with his apprentices showing the Caribbean traditions of drumming.

Arianna. Peru. 10 years living in the United States

Kelsey. Honduras. 13 years living in the United States

Saul. Mexico. 10 years living in the United States

Sofia. Panama. 7 years living in the United States

Sofia is an undocumented transgender woman. She is a volunteer with the organization Survivor’s Pathway, where she attends in order to be of support for other victims of domestic violence and hate crimes specially targeted to undocumented women and transgender women around the city, state and country.

Sofia is a part time makeup artist and has a weakness for shoes, “Why do you like

shoes so much?” I asked upon meeting with her, “They make me feel good and special” she answered.